diff --git a/capc/src/codegen/intrinsics.rs b/capc/src/codegen/intrinsics.rs
index f33b5e3..3958155 100644
--- a/capc/src/codegen/intrinsics.rs
+++ b/capc/src/codegen/intrinsics.rs
@@ -206,6 +206,14 @@ pub fn register_runtime_intrinsics(ptr_ty: Type) -> HashMap<String, FnInfo> {
         params: vec![AbiType::Handle, AbiType::ResultString],
         ret: AbiType::ResultString,
     };
+    let net_read = FnSig {
+        params: vec![AbiType::Handle, AbiType::I32],
+        ret: AbiType::Result(Box::new(AbiType::String), Box::new(AbiType::I32)),
+    };
+    let net_read_abi = FnSig {
+        params: vec![AbiType::Handle, AbiType::I32, AbiType::ResultString],
+        ret: AbiType::ResultString,
+    };
     let net_write = FnSig {
         params: vec![AbiType::Handle, AbiType::String],
         ret: AbiType::Result(Box::new(AbiType::Unit), Box::new(AbiType::I32)),
@@ -727,6 +735,16 @@ pub fn register_runtime_intrinsics(ptr_ty: Type) -> HashMap<String, FnInfo> {
             is_runtime: true,
         },
     );
+    map.insert(
+        "sys.net.TcpConn__read".to_string(),
+        FnInfo {
+            sig: net_read,
+            abi_sig: Some(net_read_abi),
+            symbol: "capable_rt_net_read".to_string(),
+            runtime_symbol: None,
+            is_runtime: true,
+        },
+    );
     map.insert(
         "sys.net.TcpConn__write".to_string(),
         FnInfo {
diff --git a/examples/http_server/http_server.cap b/examples/http_server/http_server.cap
index 7b876f3..b71dd76 100644
--- a/examples/http_server/http_server.cap
+++ b/examples/http_server/http_server.cap
@@ -9,29 +9,19 @@ use sys::args
 use sys::system
 
 fn arg_or_default(args: Args, index: i32, default: string) -> string {
-  if (args.len() > index) {
-    let res = args.at(index)
-    match (res) {
-      Ok(value) => {
-        return value
-      }
-      Err(_) => {
-      }
-    }
+  if (args.len() <= index) {
+    return default
+  }
+  match (args.at(index)) {
+    Ok(value) => { return value }
+    Err(_) => { return default }
   }
-  return default
 }
 
 fn strip_query(raw_path: string) -> string {
-  let parts = raw_path.split(63u8)
-  let res = parts.get(0)
-  return match (res) {
-    Ok(path) => {
-      path
-    }
-    Err(_) => {
-      ""
-    }
+  match (raw_path.split(63u8).get(0)) {
+    Ok(path) => { return path }
+    Err(_) => { return "" }
   }
 }
 
@@ -48,77 +38,51 @@ fn sanitize_segment(parts: VecString, i: i32, acc: string, seg: string) -> Resul
   if (acc.len() == 0) {
     return sanitize_parts(parts, i + 1, seg)
   }
-  let next = fs::join(acc, seg)
-  return sanitize_parts(parts, i + 1, next)
+  return sanitize_parts(parts, i + 1, fs::join(acc, seg))
 }
 
 fn sanitize_parts(parts: VecString, i: i32, acc: string) -> Result[string, unit] {
   if (i >= parts.len()) {
     return Ok(acc)
   }
-  let seg_res = parts.get(i)
-  return match (seg_res) {
-    Ok(seg) => {
-      sanitize_segment(parts, i, acc, seg)
-    }
-    Err(_) => {
-      Err(())
-    }
+  match (parts.get(i)) {
+    Ok(seg) => { return sanitize_segment(parts, i, acc, seg) }
+    Err(_) => { return Err(()) }
   }
 }
 
 fn sanitize_path(raw_path: string) -> Result[string, unit] {
-  let parts = raw_path.split(47u8)
-  let res = sanitize_parts(parts, 0, "")
-  match (res) {
+  match (sanitize_parts(raw_path.split(47u8), 0, "")) {
     Ok(path) => {
       if (path.len() == 0) {
         return Ok("index.html")
       }
       return Ok(path)
     }
-    Err(_) => {
-      return Err(())
-    }
+    Err(_) => { return Err(()) }
   }
 }
 
 fn parse_request_line(line: string) -> Result[string, unit] {
-  let trimmed = line.trim()
-  let parts = trimmed.split(32u8)
-  let method_res = parts.get(0)
-  match (method_res) {
+  let parts = line.trim().split(32u8)
+  match (parts.get(0)) {
     Ok(method) => {
       if (!method.eq("GET")) {
         return Err(())
       }
     }
-    Err(_) => {
-      return Err(())
-    }
+    Err(_) => { return Err(()) }
   }
-  let path_res = parts.get(1)
-  match (path_res) {
-    Ok(raw_path) => {
-      let cleaned = strip_query(raw_path)
-      return sanitize_path(cleaned)
-    }
-    Err(_) => {
-      return Err(())
-    }
+  match (parts.get(1)) {
+    Ok(raw_path) => { return sanitize_path(strip_query(raw_path)) }
+    Err(_) => { return Err(()) }
   }
 }
 
 fn parse_request_path(req: string) -> Result[string, unit] {
-  let lines = req.lines()
-  let line_res = lines.get(0)
-  return match (line_res) {
-    Ok(line) => {
-      parse_request_line(line)
-    }
-    Err(_) => {
-      Err(())
-    }
+  match (req.lines().get(0)) {
+    Ok(line) => { return parse_request_line(line) }
+    Err(_) => { return Err(()) }
   }
 }
 
@@ -129,35 +93,27 @@ fn respond_ok(conn: &TcpConn, body: string) -> Result[unit, NetErr] {
 }
 
 fn respond_not_found(conn: &TcpConn) -> Result[unit, NetErr] {
-  conn.write("HTTP/1.0 404 Not Found\r\nContent-Type: text/plain\r\n\r\nnot found\n")?
-  return Ok(())
+  return conn.write("HTTP/1.0 404 Not Found\r\nContent-Type: text/plain\r\n\r\nnot found\n")
 }
 
 fn respond_bad_request(conn: &TcpConn) -> Result[unit, NetErr] {
-  conn.write("HTTP/1.0 400 Bad Request\r\nContent-Type: text/plain\r\n\r\nbad request\n")?
-  return Ok(())
+  return conn.write("HTTP/1.0 400 Bad Request\r\nContent-Type: text/plain\r\n\r\nbad request\n")
+}
+
+fn handle_request(conn: &TcpConn, readfs: ReadFS, path: string) -> Result[unit, NetErr] {
+  match (readfs.read_to_string(path)) {
+    Ok(body) => { return respond_ok(conn, body) }
+    Err(_) => { return respond_not_found(conn) }
+  }
 }
 
 fn serve_once(c: Console, net: Net, readfs: ReadFS) -> Result[unit, NetErr] {
   let listener = net.listen("127.0.0.1", 8080)?
   let conn = listener.accept()?
-  let req = conn.read_to_string()?
-  let path_res = parse_request_path(req)
-  match (path_res) {
-    Ok(path) => {
-      let file_res = readfs.read_to_string(path)
-      match (file_res) {
-        Ok(body) => {
-          respond_ok(conn, body)?
-        }
-        Err(_) => {
-          respond_not_found(conn)?
-        }
-      }
-    }
-    Err(_) => {
-      respond_bad_request(conn)?
-    }
+  let req = conn.read(4096)?
+  match (parse_request_path(req)) {
+    Ok(path) => { handle_request(conn, readfs, path)? }
+    Err(_) => { respond_bad_request(conn)? }
   }
   conn.close()
   return Ok(())
@@ -170,13 +126,9 @@ pub fn main(rc: RootCap) -> i32 {
   let root = arg_or_default(args, 1, ".")
   let readfs = rc.mint_readfs(root)
   c.println("listening on 127.0.0.1:8080")
-  let res = serve_once(c, net, readfs)
-  match (res) {
-    Ok(_) => {
-    }
-    Err(_) => {
-      c.println("server error")
-    }
+  match (serve_once(c, net, readfs)) {
+    Ok(_) => {}
+    Err(_) => { c.println("server error") }
   }
   return 0
 }
diff --git a/runtime/src/lib.rs b/runtime/src/lib.rs
index d66a5b6..1a6752f 100644
--- a/runtime/src/lib.rs
+++ b/runtime/src/lib.rs
@@ -848,6 +848,39 @@ pub extern "C" fn capable_rt_net_read_to_string(
     )
 }
 
+#[no_mangle]
+pub extern "C" fn capable_rt_net_read(
+    conn: Handle,
+    max_size: i32,
+    out_ptr: *mut *const u8,
+    out_len: *mut u64,
+    out_err: *mut i32,
+) -> u8 {
+    let result = with_table(&TCP_CONNS, "tcp conn table", |table| {
+        let Some(stream) = table.get_mut(&conn) else {
+            return Err(NetErr::IoError);
+        };
+        let max = max_size.max(0) as usize;
+        let mut buffer = vec![0u8; max];
+        match stream.read(&mut buffer) {
+            Ok(n) => {
+                buffer.truncate(n);
+                match String::from_utf8(buffer) {
+                    Ok(s) => Ok(s),
+                    Err(_) => Err(NetErr::InvalidData),
+                }
+            }
+            Err(err) => Err(map_net_err(err)),
+        }
+    });
+    write_string_result(
+        out_ptr,
+        out_len,
+        out_err,
+        result.map_err(|err| err as i32),
+    )
+}
+
 #[no_mangle]
 pub extern "C" fn capable_rt_net_write(
     conn: Handle,
diff --git a/stdlib/sys/net.cap b/stdlib/sys/net.cap
index 0403b9a..9bbcf76 100644
--- a/stdlib/sys/net.cap
+++ b/stdlib/sys/net.cap
@@ -36,6 +36,10 @@ impl TcpConn {
     return Err(NetErr::IoError)
   }
 
+  pub fn read(self: &TcpConn, max_size: i32) -> Result[string, NetErr] {
+    return Err(NetErr::IoError)
+  }
+
   pub fn write(self: &TcpConn, data: string) -> Result[unit, NetErr] {
     return Err(NetErr::IoError)
   }